Traveling with the Kids to Las Vegas: Things to See and Do

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Last month I wrote about traveling with the kids to Las Vegas based on my recent experience taking 5 and 8 year old boys there for 3 days. The focus of that article was how to get there and get around. Now I'd like to touch on what I did with the kids in Las Vegas to keep it a fun experience.

Since I'm not a big gambler, I don't get out to Las Vegas very often, and I had never taken the kids there. But we wanted to meet up with grandma in Vegas, so off we went. So I had some research to do, namely where to stay and what to do there with the kids.

Keep in mind that this write-up is based on my one recent experience in Las Vegas and thus in no way is meant to be comprehensive. There are plenty of options there and I wanted to share what I learned. But by all means do your own research!

Our Hotel Experience

Let's start with the hotel. My primary objectives were to find a kid-friendly hotel with fun things to do, nearby other fun activities and has food that the kids will enjoy. Mind you, my kids are at the age where they get antsy sitting around and waiting in fancy places so I had to really put some thought into where we were going to stay. Oh yes, I don't want to stay at a really expensive place. Also, I wanted to stay within close proximity of the Strip.

Choosing the hotel is not easy. There are over 3 dozen large hotels on or near the Strip. After doing some research using Expedia and other online resources, I decided to ask people in Facebook, to which I received an outpouring of advice.  Hotels referred to me were the MGM, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Monte Carlo, Orleans, Red Rock Resort, Mandalay Bay, Rio, Flamingo, Mirage, Vdara and Rio.

After more due diligence and thought, I opted to go with the

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Brush Fire in Newbury Park Contained in 2 Hours - View of the Smoky Sunset

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KTLA news reported that a brush fire near the Conejo Scales was reported around 7 p.m. tonight in a moderate to heavy brush area. Thanks as always to the great efforts of the Ventura County Fire Department, the fire was out by 9 p.m. with no structural damage. Here's a view of the sunset looking toward the Conejo Grade tonight around 8 p.m. from the Ventu Park area, thanks to one of our favorite CVG Facebook followers.

Beautiful Views of Newbury Park, Conejo Valley and the Western Plateau

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Last Sunday I decided to hike up the hills that are adjacent to the Seventh Day Adventist Center and Home Depot/Target Plaza in Newbury Park. These hills overlook Newbury Park and provide a panoramic view of the Conejo Valley and portions of the Conejo Canyons Open Space in northwest Thousand Oaks. What an amazing view! Thousand Oaks is surrounded by a 15,000 acre ring of open space. To learn more about our open space, visit the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency website at www.conejo-openspace.org.

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...But Sometimes Can Be Deceiving

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From looking at this picture of 19 month old Paxton Ferry of Camarillo, you'd never know that he was actually having a blast and giggling away down the slide at Arneill Ranch Park. But, according to his mommy, Margot, that's exactly what he was doing. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it doesn't tell the whole story. Great pic, Margot!

Need help planning what to pack for school, camp or picnics in the park? Margot's Facebook page, Little Lunches, will give you some great ideas.

Click here for hundreds of fun kid activities around Ventura County!

Throwing a birthday party? Here are 90 or so local venues.

Fair is Fair: Amazon Should Collect Sales Taxes From California Customers

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Let me start this out by saying that I, like the rest of you, am NOT a fan of paying taxes...income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, you name it! And my family is a frequent customer of Amazon.com. But as much as I dislike taxes and like Amazon.com, Amazon and other large out-of-state retailers should be collecting sales taxes from California customers. Fair is fair.

Last week, the State of California said that it will start requiring out-of-state sellers to collect and remit sales taxes on sales to California residents when it can be shown that the retailer has any physical presence in California, including the presence affiliates who receive a commission by promoting Amazon on their websites.

Amazon in turn swiftly sent a letter to its 10,000 or so California affiliates and told them, sorry, we're cutting you off.  Yes, because Amazon is being asked to start collecting sales taxes like its competitors (e.g. Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Costco, et al) do, they are throwing their affiliates off the bus and using them as a pawn. That wasn't very nice of them.

Let's step back for a moment. California is one of 45 U.S. states with sales and use taxes. (The 5 without are currently Maryland, Alaska, Oregon, Montana and New Ha

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City of Calabasas Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bag Ban Starts July 1, 2011

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CITY OF CALABASAS SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CARRYOUT BAG BAN

BRING YOUR OWN REUSABLE SHOPPING BAGS OR PURCHASE PAPER BAGS AT CALABASAS GROCERS BEGINNING JULY 1, 2011


From the City of Calabasas website at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html

Calabasas has joined the growing ranks of municipalities encouraging residents to bring reusable bags when shopping. On February 9, 2011, the Calabasas City Council passed Ordinance No. 2011-282 to ban the use single-use carryout plastic bags that pollute our environment and constitute a high percentage of litter across the country.

As of July 1, 2011, shoppers will no longer receive disposable plastic bags while shopping at Calabasas supermarkets: Albertsons, Gelson’s, Maddy’s Market, and Ralphs and Rite Aid.

As of January 1, 2012, smaller drug stores, convenience food stores, smaller retail stores and grocers will stop offering disposable plastic bags.

Under the terms of the new law, stores will have reusable bags available for sale and will also offer recyclable paper bags for 10 cents each in lieu of customers bringing their reusable bags or simply carrying items purchased without a bag. The fees collected from bag sales will only go towards helping stores comply with the new law.

Lower income residents who participate in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children program will receive either reusable bags or recyclable paper bags for free.

Shoppers are encouraged to use reusable shopping bags whenever possible. Please note that small plastic bags will still be available in stores for fruits and vegetables. Produce bags and product bags are bags without handles used exclusively to carry produce, meats, or other food items to the point of sale or to prevent such food items from coming into direct contact with other purchased items.

More information and details on the benefits of using re-usable bags at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html.